ID FACTS: Accenture report reveals interest in biometrics to protect data. Click to enlarge

One in six consumers find usernames and passwords “cumbersome” and 77% are interested in using alternatives to protect their security on the internet, research from Accenture reveals. More than half (58%) say they are interested in using biometrics including voice, retina and fingerprint recognition in the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, 59% are interested in using a “uniquely encoded chip” in their phone or computer to protect their security and privacy on the internet in the next 12 months,  the ‘Digital trust in the IoT era’ report reveals.

The survey of 24,000 consumers across six continents found that Chinese (92%) and Indian (84%) consumers are “most likely” to be open to alternatives. More than three quarters (78%) of consumers in Brazil, Mexico and Sweden, and 74% in the US, are also willing to consider security methods other than usernames and passwords.

Less than half of consumers globally (46%) are confident in the security of their personal data, the survey also showed. Consumers in emerging countries (50%) were slightly more confident in the security of their personal data than those in developed countries (42%).

“The widespread practice of typing usernames and passwords to log on to the internet might soon become obsolete,” says Robin Murdoch, managing director of Accenture’s internet and social business segment.

“Traditional one-step passwords are now being matched with alternative methods using biometric technologies. Within the next few years, we are likely to see many more consumers embracing these and other alternative methods.”